How should politicians lead the Eastside in 2025? The community weighs in

This year, several newly elected officials will impact politics on the Eastside. 

Leaders in various levels of government face a slew of issues such as homelessness, community safety, looming immigration threats from a second Trump administration and a housing crisis that touches all facets of life in Southern California. 

Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, who represents L.A.’s District 14, has spent the first few weeks at City Hall fleshing out the team that will help carry out her vision for the district.

The political newcomer will work closely with L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis, whose 1st District includes a large swath of the Eastside, and whose political experience will be valuable during Jurado’s first years.

At the state level, Jessica Caloza and Mark Gonzalez, of California’s Assembly Districts 52 and 54 respectively, were also recently sworn in to represent several Eastside communities.

These fresh faces, along with other current state lawmakers, L.A. School Board members and a re-elected Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez of Congressional District 34, will be tasked with responding to their constituents’ needs. 

We asked educators, community activists, business owners and ordinary residents what they think their local leaders should prioritize in 2025.

Third-generation East L.A. native Kristie Hernandez says one of the most critical concerns for her and her neighbors is the homelessness crisis. This year she hopes her elected officials will pay close attention to the needs of residents in the unincorporated area where she lives. 

East L.A., a region of nearly 120,000, is not a city. There is no mayor or city council making decisions for its residents. Because of this, Hernandez argues, quality-of-life issues sometimes go unheard.

 Through her work as the chairperson of the Maravilla Community Advisory Committee, a local community-led group that advocates for civic engagement and public services around East L.A., Hernandez has pushed for more government transparency from her leader at the county level, Supervisor Hilda Solis.

Now, with Jessica Caloza overseeing her district in the state Assembly, Hernandez wants to see year-round involvement from leaders across the board. 

“They need to listen to the residents, homeowners, families, and stakeholders in general about what are the most pressing issues,” Hernandez said. “I believe that [Caloza] does have the wherewithal to understand our needs, and we look forward to working with her to ensure that we can help to influence legislation that can help these dense communities.”

Community safety and support for small business owners

Hernan Montenegro, business owner, Boyle Heights 

Hernan Montenegro said he’d like Councilmember Ysabel Jurado to put more pressure on law enforcement to go after crimes that threaten local businesses. 

The 38-year-old who owns a custom bicycle repair shop in Boyle Heights said he’s experienced attempted break-ins. 

While CD 14 residents have made community safety one of their top issues, Jurado’s position on policing isn’t as simple as adding more patrolling officers. Jurado has criticized LAPD’s inflated budget in the past and sees reinvestment in youth development, libraries, parks and gang intervention programs as ways to grow safe communities. 

Montenegro works next door to the Boyle Heights CD 14 field office and said if he ever met if he were to meet Jurado, he’d ask her to establish commercial renter protections.

“My landlord is cool, but there’s nothing keeping them from increasing my rent. This is my life savings. This is everything, it’s not like I have multiple locations,” he said. Montenegro would like to see Jurado establish a rental assistance program for low-income small business owners who rent commercial spaces, akin to Section 8 housing for residential tenants.

Jurado, a former tenant rights attorney, pledged to “deliver economic justice that uplifts small businesses” in an early candidate statement. According to her LinkedIn profile, she previously provided legal services and transactional assistance to local small businesses and nonprofits.

Co-govern with the community

Carlos Montes, activist, Boyle Heights 

Longtime community activist and Boyle Heights resident Carlos Montes said he wants his local officials to remain proactive and listen to all residents, not just voters. 

Montes asked for community hearing sessions from both Councilmember Jurado and state Assemblymember Gonzalez, who represents the 54th District, to give them a better look at the most critical issues facing Eastside communities. Montes said he understands that not one politician can get things done alone, but with a good staff, they can alleviate quality of life issues that plague the area.

“I look forward to her helping support our local parks and our library because the Benjamin Franklin Library is still not open,” Montes said.

In her first week in office, Jurado proposed a motion to assess the renovation progress of the Boyle Heights library and explore avenues for accelerating its reopening.

The 77-year-old said he also hoped that through Gonzalez’s political network and experience in Sacramento, the Assemblyman would hit the ground running and work with Gov. Newsom to defend education and immigrant rights across his district that encompasses Boyle Heights, Koreatown, Chinatown and cities like Montebello, Commerce and Vernon.

Protect undocumented students and their families

Elisa Fonseca, kindergarten teacher, East L.A. 

As the threat of mass deportations from a second Trump administration looms, kindergarten teacher Elisa Fonseca worries about her students and their families. 

Fonseca, who teaches in East L.A., wants her leaders to support the rights of immigrant families and safeguard her school community, she said. 

L.A. recently approved a sanctuary city ordinance that prohibits federal immigration agents from using city resources or personnel to assist in arrests. While the ordinance does not apply in unincorporated East L.A., it is not the only protection for immigrants on the books. A  2018 state law declared California a sanctuary state, and this month, state lawmakers introduced bills to shield K-12 students and families from deportation. 

In November, LAUSD reaffirmed a 2017 resolution committing the second-largest school district in the country to work to protect school communities from immigration enforcement agents. A training plan for school staff and administrators on how to respond to federal agencies and immigration personnel is currently in development.

Fonseca has hope that her L.A. School Board representative, Rocío Rivas, will continue to defend the rights of immigrants of all ages. She says she has seen Rivas’ commitment to supporting students in mixed-status households firsthand.

“She goes into schools, and she shows up and she holds clinics,” Fonseca said. “She just had one at Roosevelt [High School] where you could learn about filling out a form if you’ve been a permanent resident for a while.”

Rebuild government trust and develop youth engagement efforts

Jose Vidrio, resident and parent, Boyle Heights

Jose Vidrio, 33, a mechanic for the U.S. Postal Service, said he was tired of having dishonest politicians represent him in CD 14. The Boyle Heights resident was critical of the role former Councilman Kevin de León played in the racist audio leak scandal that upended L.A. politics  and said having trust in a leader was essential.

“I expect them to be honest — no back and forth, even when the truth is not the most popular one. They can say, ‘Hey, these are the facts and we have to go this way, and it’s going to hurt us, but we have to do this.’ ” he said. 

Vidrio, a father of a toddler, said he would also like to see an emphasis on quality-of-life issues such as fixing damaged sidewalks and keeping parks and streets clean. He also suggested a reimagining of youth engagement in Boyle Heights and said students like those at Roosevelt High School should be offered more after-school programs or even free vouchers to patronize small businesses.